>> norah: tonight, iran bombards israel with nearly 200 missiles, as israel promises a significant response. >> we have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences for this attack,% and we will work with israel to make that the case. >> norah: we're onboard a rescue chopper four days after helene devastated north carolina. tonight, the hundreds still missing. >> thousands of families have been devastated, without homes. >> i don't see anything to go

back to. >> norah: and its debate night. senator j.d. vance and governor tim walz go head-to-head for the first and only time. a special edition of the "cbs evening news," from the new york debate stage, starts now. ♪ ♪ good evening. i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for joining us from the cbs news debate stage. a bit later this evening, the two men vying to become vice president of the united states will meet on this stage to debate a number of issues that are profoundly important to americans and the world. and tonight, the world is holding its breath over the fear of a much wider middle east war, after iran launched a new attack on israel. incoming ballistic missiles filled the night sky over israel. more than during iran's previous attack in april. many of them were shot down by israel and by the u.s. navy on president biden's orders. the iranians say the barrage was

in retaliation for a recent israeli attacks, including the aerial assault that killed most of hezbollah's leadership. israel now finds itself battling hamas in gaza, hezbollah in lebanon, and after today's attack, israel says there will be consequences for iran. we will have late reaction from the white house in a moment, but we want to begin in tel aviv, where cbs's chris livesay witnessed the barrage. good evening, chris. >> reporter: good evening, norah. israelis have been bracing for a major retaliation after the recent assassinations of hamas and hezbollah leaders. well, tonight, that retaliation finally came. [explosions] ballistic missiles light up the night sky as israel intercepts them. sending red-hot shrapnel floating like embers. some leaked through israel's defenses, hitting targets on the ground, and iran blanketed the length of the country with some 180 missiles, israel says, from the north...

>> on the right, the right side. >> left side. >> reporter: to the western wall in jerusalem. to tel aviv. where we were when the sirens blared and panic erupted. >> we've just been told to back away from the door of the shelter. everyone's moving away, we've heard a series of booms. you can see everybody is just piled into this parking garage, that's doubling as a bomb shelter. there are children here. there are dogs here. >> reporter: the israeli military says the attack would have consequences. "we have plans," said a spokesman. "we will act at a time and place of our choosing." and in a conspicuous turn... just moments before the missile barrage, there was an apparent terrorist attack at a tel aviv train station, when two men opened fire with assault rifles, killing at least seven and wounding eight, police say.

the violence brought to the doorstep of israel's largest city. set against the backdrop of a widening war. in the past 24 hours, israel launched what it calls a limited ground offensive into southern lebanon, targeting hezbollah rocket positions that have wreaked havoc across israel's north for nearly a year. today, the israeli military released video showing israeli soldiers descending into hezbollah's vast tunnel system and revealing caches of weaponry and ammunition. the idf claims this aerial footage shows the destruction of an underground compound, fighting of an intensity not seen since the last israel-lebanon war in 2006, when israel launched a full ground invasion. this is iran's second direct attack on israel this year. how israel response to this latest barrage could determine the direction of the widening war and whether the u.s. gets dragged into it. norah? >> norah: chris livesay with that new reporting, thank you

very much. president biden says the u.s. fully supports israel and is in active discussion with the jewish state on how to respond to the iranian attack. we get more now from cbs news senior white house correspondent weijia jiang. >> reporter: from the white house situation room, president biden and vice president harris monitored iran's attack on israel with their national security team. tonight, the president says iran failed its mission. >> the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective, and this is testament to the israeli military capability and u.s. military. >> reporter: and he vowed to help israel defend itself. >> make no mistake, the united states is fully, fully, fully supportive of israel. >> reporter: the u.s. has more than 40,000 troops and aircraft squadrons spread across the middle east, along with 12 warships in the region. another one is on its way. today, two of the navy destroyers fired roughly a dozen interceptors against iranian missiles. >> we will never hesitate to

take whatever action is necessary to defend u.s. forces and interests against iran and iran-backed terrorists. and we will continue to work with our allies and partners to disrupt iran's aggressive behavior and hold them accountable. >> reporter: former president trump claimed biden and harris are leading the u.s. to the brink of a wider war. >> iran has been exporting terror all over the world, and it's been just unraveling, the whole middle east has been unraveling, but of course the whole world has been unravelinge whole world has been >> reporter: tonight, the white house insists iran will face "severe consequences" for that missile attack. president biden said what those are remains to be seen. he has not spoken to israeli prime minister netanyahu since the strike, but says he plans to. norah? >> norah: weijia jiang from the white house. thank you, weijia. conflict like the one unfolding in israel show why it is

imperative that vice presidential candidates are ready for the situation room on day one. senator j.d. vance and governor tim walz will both be here in this room a few short hours from now, pitching you on why they are right for the job. we have team coverage from new york tonight. cbs news chief white house correspondent nancy cordes joins us now from the so-called spin room. and nancy, the stakes are pretty high tonight. >> reporter: it's a big night, norah. both candidates had an opportunity to do a walk-through in the debate hall where you are right now earlier today, just to get a feel for the setting. tonight, over the course of 90 minutes, they'll have the opportunity to put their best foot forward before the american people in what will likely be the final debate of this presidential election season. the first and only vp debate will feature two men who disagree about everything, from immigration... >> they'll say you are a racist if you dare complain about it. >> reporter: to abortion... >> they are going after fertility treatments. they are going after contraception. >> reporter: as a second term governor who spent 12 years in

congress, minnesota's tim walz has debated plenty of times, though usually over state issues. >> we see that our streetsotingk restaurant in st. paul. >> reporter: ohio senator j.d. vance first ran for office two years ago and was not afraid to mix things up in that debate. >> it was a complete fabrication. i never -- >> j.d., you are on tape, brother. you are on tape. >> i never said that, tim. go and run the tape. >> reporter: vice presidential debates can be revealing. >> can call you joe? >> reporter: but they are rarely viewed as pivotal. >> i srved with jack kennedy. i knew jack kennedy. jack kennedy was a friend of mine. senator, you are no jack kennedy. >> reporter: in a race like this one, however, where the candidates are essentially tied in all seven battleground states, everything counts. >> i can't wait to debate the guy. [cheers and applause] >> reporter: and while campaigns typically try to raise

expectations for their opponents in a debate, donald trump went the other way last night. >> you'll see it tomorrow with j.d. it will be stacked. he's going up against a moron. a total moron. how she picked him is unbelievable. >> reporter: the trump campaign, incidentally, has actually been making the opposite case. they say that walz is a skilled debater. now norah, you mentioned that we are in the spin room. advocates from both sides will fill this room later tonight after the debate tonight to make the argument that their chosen candidate came out on top. but we will also the interviewing and pulling everyday americans to see what they think because at the end of the day, that's what matters. norah? >> norah: it is a busy night here at cbs. nancy cordes, thank you very much. cbs news chief washington correspondent major garrett joins us now from our times square studios, where our team of experts will be analyzing the debate. and major, what do you see as a mission for each of the

candidates tonight? >> reporter: great to be with you, norah. for walz, keep the momentum of the harris campaign going, deflect the personal attacks expect to come from senator vance, basically be more likable, hold serve where he can, keep the democratic base excited, and the fence sitters who have yet to make up their minds reassured. this will probably be easier for walz because at age 60 he has no obvious designs to be president. he is happy to be on the ticket and ride the political moment of whatever weight goes. for vance, he needs a reset. he set some controversies in motion, and they have followed him. he knows he is a net negative in this campaign. even republicans are not as enthusiastic about him as democrats are about walz. vance also has to meet trump's very high attack dog standard. there is a risk there, though. if he comes off too hot, that could further complicate his political standing. >> norah: major, you gave us a lot to watch tonight. and we should note this, that for over half a century, "60 minutes" has invited both candidates to appear on the broadcast as americans head to the polls, but donald trump has decided not to participate. major, what can you tell us?

>> reporter: a very important moment in this campaign, norah. after initially accepting a request for an interview with our correspondent scott pelley for an election special on october 7th, the trump campaign decided they would not participate. pelley will address this during the special next week. we should add the harris interview will go on as planned. >> norah: all right, major garrett with those new developments. thank you, major. and cbs news will have live coverage ahead of the debate starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern, and then we will see you at 9:00 p.m. eastern for the cbs news vice presidential debate, moderated by margaret brennan and me. the death toll from hurricane helene has now passed 160 people. in north carolina, hundreds are still missing, and teams are searching the mountains for survivors. today, cbs's lilia luciano rode along with the national guard making aerial rescues. >> reporter: flying high over the mountains of western north carolina, this national guard crew scoured the landscape, which seemed swallowed by the river. a scene repeated across the

state, where rescue operations continue, five days after the storm. in the small town of burnsville, we watched as the national guard rescued this woman, the first of seven. all right, the clearance signal was given. the person is now being hoisted. then troops were sent on another mission. nearly 60 miles south, in hendersonville, where three survivors were clearly relieved and grateful to see the helicopter land. how are you feeling right now? >> grateful to be alive. grateful that everyone is safe. and trusting that everyone will make it through this. >> reporter: the north carolina national guard is also delivering food and water to people who have waited days for relief. >> we are working together to open more major routes, to push supplies forward while repairing roads, utilities, and communications. >> reporter: in erwin, tennessee, the owners of impact plastic say five

employees and a contractor are missing after trying to escape flash flooding. for some of those rescued today in north carolina, this baseball field became a home base to regroup and begin to recover. >> i figure i can do more for the community from being the outside, so that's kind of where i'm at. it was just -- it was stressful. but not the worst experience in life. >> reporter: tell me what concerns you most about the community. it seems like there's still people there. >> they see more supplies. they desperately need fuel. >> reporter: not every one of those rescues the national guard did today had a positive outcome. some of those missions turned into recoveries for those who did not survive. norah? >> norah: lilia luciano, thank you so much for your reporting. the dockworker strike on the east and gulf coast could lead to a long list of shortages if it drags on. that story is coming up next. ♪ ♪ coming up next.

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an allergic reaction, or ketoacidosis. ♪ farxiga ♪ ♪ ♪ >> norah: a legal showdown is developing in georgia over how ballots should be counted. the state election board is requiring a hand count, while democrats are now suing to stop that. in the last four years, 11 states have attempted hand counting in local elections or introduced legislation requiring a hand count. but as major garrett reports in tonight's "eye on america," there is no evidence it is more reliable. >> reporter: for the last year, mark cook has been preaching a kind of low-tech election-doubting gospel in communities across the country. >> but we are told, trust the

machine, and that is a way to manipulate an election. >> reporter: traveling by rv, cook and his hand count road show are part of an election conspiracy movement that has been growing since 2020. one that claims that voting machines can be hacked and manipulated, meaning the only voting system to be trusted is an old-fashioned hand count. >> well, hello, everyone. i'm back. >> reporter: on this night last year, cook is in deep red gillespie county, texas. >> 0.1% of texas still hand counts. >> reporter: he convinced republicans here who run their own primaries to join the small minority that hand count. hundreds of volunteers stayed in places like this wine bar until 4:30 in the morning to count roughly 8,000 votes, with numerous errors. >> we only have 13 precincts. 12 of which turned in final tally sheets that were inaccurate. >> we sort of began... >> reporter: jim riley overseas elections in gillespie county.

is there an actual problem here that needs to be solved by a hand count? >> no. the hand counting, in my opinion, did nothing to improve elections in the county. >> reporter: right leaning riley says election systems are already top notch, scanner, and then verified for accuracy. as much as you've opened up transparency, it still for some hasn't been enough? >> no, and for some it won't ever be enough. >> something didn't smell right. >> reporter: mo saiidi was the republican chair of gillespie county when the hand count road show came to town. >> and nobody provided a single iota of evidence. it was just this perception that if it is plugged into the wall, they are subject inaccurate. >> reporter: frustrated by his party's decision, saiidi resigned. >> so we are chasing this elusive problem that never existed. >> reporter: numerous studies have shown hand couts to be less accurate, more costly, more time-consuming, but that hasn't stopped cook from preaching.

in michigan, we tracked down his rv to ask him some basic questions. he drove away. and again in pennsylvania. major garrett. cbs news. will you have any time to talk to me? >> oh, i'm going to be doing a lot of talking. >> reporter: no, i know, beforehand. >> no. >> reporter: he wouldn't speak to us but is a regular on right-wing podcasts. >> the day after the election, to january 20th, if you thought 2020 was nasty, you ain't seen nothing yet. >> reporter: even in the wake of gillespie county's hand count ordeal, the hardened hand count flash faction is flooding meetings demanding ch november. in retrospect, the hand count experience here has been a net what? >> i think it is a net loss. if you don't like can counting, you are evil. >> reporter: evil over what gillespie county officials now say was a solution in search of a problem and a cautionary tale for hand count advocates

everywhere. for "eye on america," major garrett, in gillespie county, texas. >> norah: and that was an eye-opening story. we'll be right back with an inside look right here in the debate hall. ♪ ♪ these are the moments that make up the story of your life. but, as you get older, your risk of missing those moments because of severe flu, covid-19, or rsv increases. vaccines help you avoid that. so, get this season's vaccines because your presence makes all the difference. risk less. do more. get started at vaccines.gov ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ woah, limu! we're in a parade. everyone customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. customize and sa— (balloon doug pops & deflates)

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>> norah: finally, tonight, we want to take you behind the scenes on the debate stage at our cbs news headquarters in new york. this is where margaret brennan and i will moderate the debate from, where we will ask questions about the issues that matter most to you, the voters, according to cbs news polling. now the candidates and their campaigns do not get the questions or topics ahead of time. i do want to take you over to where the candidates will stand because as you can see, there is a red lectern for republican senator j.d. vance. and then there is a blue lectern for democratic governor tim walz. now across from the candidates are the clocks the candidates can see to keep track of time. here is how it works. a question is directed at one candidate, who has 2 minutes to answer. the other candidate gets 2 minutes to respond. then they each get one minute for rebuttals. now that brings me to the rules. as you can see, there is no audience in here. candidates are not allowed to bring in notes, but they will be given a notepad and a pen. and then, finally, the muting of the microphones is at the

discretion of cbs news. we are just hours away from the first meeting and the only debate of the two men who hope to become vice president. special coverage starts right here at 8:00 p.m. eastern, and that is tonight's "cbs evening news." we hope to see you for the cbs news vice presidential debate. until then, good night. ♪ ♪ >it's the heatwave hits its peak today. even san francisco was sweating it out. >> i didn't think it was going to get this hot honestly. >> when we'll finally see some relief. a little over an hour ago we started to receive alerts on our phone to immediately get into a bomb shelter. >> bombs raining down on israel at the hands of iran. >> we're hearing a lot of explosions outside as well. it

was really scary. >> the growing fears of an expanding war. the vp candidates a couple hours away from their debate. >> i don't make anything of either one of them yet. tonight we'll see what i make of them. >> we'll ask an expert what they need to do to win voters. buster posey back in orange and black in a new position for the giants. >> i'll be all in with this. this is cbs news bay area with elizabeth cook. it's the first day of october and it's feeling like the heart of summer. even san francisco is having its hottest october in nearly three decades. that's why today is a first alert weather day. here is a live look outside from our camera on top of the salesforce tower. there's also a spare the air alert for today and tomorrow. let's get right to zoe for